Sudden Downpour
by JeffnaBoots
Summary: It had been drizzling for seven days...
The rain was eternal.

At least, that was what it felt like, for the Jellicles.

It had been drizzling for seven days. A steady, barely-there rain that refused to decrease the humidity. The junkyard was covered in a thin sheet of water – barely ankle deep but enough to make an almighty splash when leapt into. Nothing could dry, and most of the kittens were soaked to their skin – playing in puddles and generally disregarding their parents' advice to stay dry.

The Jellicles were irritable. They were sick of the rain, the wet fur, and the darkness.

At least hunting was easier, Munkustrap mused. The rain drove the critters into their nests, and his hunters rarely had to waste energy with a chase. He _was_ concerned for the sick kittens though. Jemima, Victoria and Pouncival were all bedridden, under the watchful eye of Jenny and Jellylorum.

While the others were all snuffly, those three had fevers, along with temperature flushes and achy muscles.

"How are they?" Munkustrap kept his voice low as he ducked into Jenny's den.

"I was able to turn those Swallows into soup, and that has brightened their spirits. I think Pounce has started hallucinating," at Munkustrap's alarmed look, she chuckled, "But I think he might just be bored. His fever has broken, but I won't let him leave the den."

Munkustrap laughed gently, "Poor kits…" he smiled, "Do you think the weather will let up soon?"

She gazed at the sky ruefully, shaking her head, "It's going to get worse before it gets better…"

Munkustrap sighed, "Okay. I'll work with the toms today to fortify the junk. The wood has started swelling, and a few of the dens have started to collapse."

Jenny smiled, "Great," she nodded, "We'll just have to wait it out, and stay as dry as we can."

Munkustrap nodded, finding Jemima in a heap of limbs, stroking her damp fur gently. She was hot to the touch, and he sighed.

"She'll be fine, Munk. A little cold never killed anyone."

He nodded slowly, "I know…" he murmured quietly, "But she's so small…"

"She's stronger than some of those boys out there and you know it."

Munkustrap nodded slowly, chuckling and leaning down to lick her fur gently. She blinked sleepily, staring up at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Daddy?" she mewled quietly, curling into his paws and latching onto them.

He wrapped one paw around her, pressing her close, "Shh, my love…" he purred quietly, "Do you want to come sleep with me and Momma tonight?"

She let out a guttural little mewl, and he chuckled, leaning down to pick her up and giving Jenny a grateful smile, holding the sick little kitten close.

"Her temperature fluctuates, so don't mind her if she gets too hot or too cold – just keep her warm or move away when she needs it. Her fluids need to be up too, so keep her drinking water, and if she won't drink, you'll have to use a syringe," Jenny reminded him, "Come see me if anything changes."

Munkustrap nodded, "Thank you, Jenny. Has Misto come to see Victoria at all today?"

"He tried. She didn't want him."

Munkustrap let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head, "I'll bring her back tomorrow morning. I just… I miss her."

"Of course, love. Have a good night!"

Munkustrap leant forward to nuzzle her gently, cuddling Jemima close and exiting the den.

The rain seemed heavier, and Munkustrap leant over his daughter, trying to shield her as he hastily leapt to their den.

Demeter was grooming herself in the middle of the room, letting out an agitated hiss when Munkustrap shook himself of the water on his fur. Her irritation became concern when she noticed the kitten in his arms.

"I told you to visit her, not bring her back…" she chided gently, but came forward to nuzzle her gently anyway.

"I know…" he murmured, "She's just… so sweet, Dem. And she's sick. She needs her parents."

She fixed him with a fond smile, wrapping her arms around him and laying a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Come on, you big softie. Let's sleep, and pray that this rain lets up…"

* * *

The rain didn't let up.

Munkustrap woke to the silhouette of a cat in his den, and he half-heartedly let out a hiss in warning.

"Relax," he heard Jenny's slightly stressed voice, "My den has flooded, and the kittens can't stay there. I'm putting Pounce and Vicky in here tonight and going to go stay with Jelly. We'll work something out in the morning. Go back to sleep."

Munkustrap forced himself to process the message, removing his arm from where it was curled around both Jemima and his mate and sitting up.

"Pounce and Vicky are here. Den is flooding. You're with Jelly," he repeated sleepily, rubbing his eyes with one paw and yawning.

"Good job," Jenny said with a short laugh, "Lay back down, Munk. You're okay."

He grumbled at her for treating him like a kitten, but didn't protest too much further, snuggling into his mate and quickly falling back asleep.

* * *

Munkustrap woke the second time to a flash of lightning.

That, and the sound of the rain.

It was _deafening._

He felt around for his family – Jemima had migrated to a patch all by herself, and when he touched her she was sweating. Demeter was curled, fast asleep next to him. Victoria and Pouncival were tucked into the corner, sleeping soundly.

Den secure, Munkustrap got to his feet to check outside.

Immediately his chest caught with panic.

Jenny's den was completely submerged, along with a few other dens on the lowest level. He had to assume that the other cats would've woken up – moved to higher dens, camped with other families.

He couldn't go down there now – he was a strong swimmer, but there was so much junk and debris, he could get caught by something. And besides… the water was rising.

He hadn't noticed it at first, but now it was clear that there was no drainage. With the rain so heavy, it must have dislodged something, settled over the drains, and now the junkyard was akin to a giant fishbowl.

His heart ricocheted against his chest anxiously and he leapt around the outside of the dens, aiming for the next one to be submerged. The rain hit him like a thousand darts, his fur immediately soaked and weighing him down.

"Jelly, Jenny!" he landed at the entrance to the den, the sound of the rain dulled slightly with the strong walls. They stirred, and he picked his way to them, shaking them urgently, "Ladies, we're flooding. I'm going from den to den, we'll have to meet at the highest one."

"Tugger's…" Jellylorum muttered absently, yawning as she got up, "He made a point of it when he finally finished construction."

"It's quite big too," Jenny nodded, slightly more awake than Jellylorum was.

"Demeter and the sick kits are still sleeping – I didn't want to wake them until we had a plan," Munkustrap said softly, and Jenny just nodded.

"Good idea. We'll get them, and we'll start warning the others. If this rain keeps up like this…" she gazed out to the torrential downpour, "We may need to start thinking about leaving the Junkyard."

"It's the drains…" Munkustrap said softly, "They're blocked. They must be. The Junkyard wouldn't fill like this otherwise."

Jenny considered this, before shrugging, "We should get going…" she murmured nervously as the water started to flow over Jellylorum's front door.

She gathered her supplies – the medical odds and ends she'd picked up before fleeing her own den, and headed up to Tugger's den with Jellylorum.

"Oh, get the Jellicles to bring their blankets and pillows – anything easy to grab. There'll be a lot of bodies."

Jenny nodded, a bright smile on her face, "Another good idea, Munk."

Still nervous, but feeling more in control, Munkustrap made his way from den to den, waking each group and urging them to Tugger's den. With relief, he found the Jellicles who usually slept on the lower dens camped out with friends.

At last he reached Tugger's den and stepped inside to find chaos.

There were Jellicles _everywhere_.

He spotted Demeter and Jemima first – relief washing over him. They were safe. He rose himself up to start a headcount.

"Brother…"

Tugger's snarl made him whip around, and he raised an eyebrow, "Yes Tugger?"

"Jenny told me it was your bright idea to move the tribe to my den."

Munkustrap almost laughed. Jenny had thrown him under the bus.

"It was," he nodded, staring at Tugger and waiting for the challenge.

"Why would you think that's acceptable? And how dare you not ask me first!"

Munkustrap stared, "Well, Tugger. There seems to be a massive downpour outside that is flooding the Junkyard. I figured it was in the best interests of the tribe to not drown, so I chose the largest, highest den in the Junkyard, which you so helpfully created a few months ago. I didn't ask you because I was trying desperately not to get my paws wet."

Tugger was still glaring, but he backed off slightly, "Whatever…" he grumbled, tail whipping and almost catching Etcetera in the face, who was standing too close anyway.

With Tugger retreating, Munkustrap continued with his headcount. It was difficult, with the Jellicles all moving about, but eventually he was satisfied that nobody was missing.

"Jellicle Cats!" he called, but nobody heard him. They were all shouting over the rain to be heard amongst one another.

"Can I help?" Mistoffelees appeared at Munkustrap's side, his fur mostly dry, "I could make them hear you?"

Munkustrap turned to the young tom, one ear twitching, "Uh, yes. That would be perfect."

Mistoffelees nodded, rubbing his hands together until blue sparks appeared. He took Munkustrap's hand, nodding, "Try now."

"Jellicles?"

Munkustrap's voice boomed within the den, and the cats immediately went silent. They all turned to him expectantly, amazed at the volume of his voice

Mistoffelees perched beside him smugly.

"Okay," Munkustrap cleared his throat, "The rain has threatened the safety of our tribe, and the waters are slowly rising. We don't need to panic though. We'll take turns watching the rain, and if it comes to it, we will leave the Junkyard. It's just a waiting game, so get comfortable. Tugger has… graciously allowed us to use his den for the time being."

Tugger scoffed from a corner of his den, surrounded by other toms.

"We'll let you know what happens as it happens. But there's still a long way to go until sunset… so find a spot and get some rest."

Mistoffelees let go of his hand, sitting up importantly, "I can also get to work on drying the Jellicles," he said happily, glad to be of service, "Do you think the whole room needs to be warm, or just dry?"

Munkustrap thought for a moment, "Start with individuals, and then we'll see about the room. I don't want it to get too stuffy in here."

Mistoffelees nodded sensibly, bounding off to start his self-appointed job.

Munkustrap let out a tense breath, wondering what else he needed to do, when Demeter nudged him.

"Ready to take your own advice?" she asked softly, and Munkustrap cocked his head in confusion, "Finding a spot and getting some rest?"

Munkustrap almost laughed, "I don't have time-"

"Jenny and Gus are on first watch. Then Bomba and I, and then you and Alonzo," she said, "Which means we have two hours to cuddle and look after our baby girl, who needs her parents."

Munkustrap shot her a pleading look, but Demeter's mind was set. She grabbed Munkustrap by the arm, dragging him to a secluded corner of the den, well away from Tugger, to where Jemima was curled on her side, shivering.

Munkustrap sighed, reaching for Demeter and nuzzling her gently, holding her close, "Thank you."

She purred softly, curling herself around their daughter. Munkustrap lay opposite her, so Jemima was sandwiched between them. Slowly, the kitten's shivers subsided and she relaxed.

"I love you…" Demeter purred softly, "You do so much for this tribe…"

Munkustrap shook his head, tail twitching idly as he glanced around the den. Most of the cats had found spots to sleep, but the kittens were up and playing. Munkustrap chuckled. Tugger wouldn't be happy. He'd have to make it up to him somehow.

"I do what's necessary," he said modestly, tucking a paw around Jemima's body, thumb stroking the fur on her back.

She rolled her eyes, "I swear-"

Demeter was cut off by the sudden sound of the rain stopping.

Munkustrap's ears shot up, and the den was once again silent.

He tentatively got to his feet, heading to the entrance. Jenny and Gus were staring out apprehensively, but Munkustrap's smile grew when the sun seemed to be shining through the clouds.

"I will never understand nature…" Gus grumbled.

"Me either," Munkustrap said softly, "But it looks as if we're in the clear."

Jenny graced them with a smile, "I still suggest we keep watch, just in case."

Munkustrap nodded, "That sounds good," he breathed, "I still think the drainage is an issue though…" he murmured.

"Well, unless you feel like going for a dip, there's little we can do about that," Munkustrap turned to where Alonzo had spoken, smiling a little.

"Well, you could always join me...?"

Alonzo smiled tightly, "Look…" he sighed, "We either wait for the water to naturally recede, or we go down and see what's blocking it…"

"Waiting could take weeks…" Jenny pointed out.

"I vote we swim," Tugger spoke up immediately, "The stench of wet fur is already going to cling to the walls long after you go."

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in actually going down into the water?" Munkustrap murmured dryly.

Tugger fixed him with a cheeky grin, "Oh, I would, dear brother. My mane, however, inhibits my buoyancy."

Munkustrap rolled his eyes, glancing at Alonzo. "Okay, you and I can go down, and we need at least two more to be spotters – just in case."

"We're in!" Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had overheard the conversation, piping up with huge grins.

Munkustrap glanced at the two of them, before nodding, "Okay. Come on. Before it decides to rain again."

The four cats picked their way down the junk pile, stopping on a wide beam that hung over the water. Munkustrap sighed. He hated swimming.

"Alright. Alonzo and I will go down and try and fix it. If we don't come up for say… five minutes, come in after us…"

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer saluted him and Munkustrap glanced at Alonzo, who nodded at him. Together they dived, hitting the water with a loud splash. Munkustrap remembered why he hated it. He immediately felt heavier, his claws out to try and gain some traction, full well knowing that wasn't really how it worked. He propelled himself forward, kicking at the water and glancing up to where Alonzo was also slowly making progress.

Munkustrap mentally groaned as he finally found the ground – it wasn't that deep, thankfully, and he spotted the problem. A shard of metal had lodged itself between the grates of the drain, clamping a seal. The water was draining, but very slowly.

The black and white tom nodded when Munkustrap pointed, and together they got beneath the hunk of metal, pushing off the ground and away from the drain.

With the drain suddenly open, the water was sucked in, creating a vortex. Munkustrap gasped, mouth filling with water as he was drawn in, scrambling desperately for purchase but getting nothing.

Munkustrap was panicking. He was thrown against a piece of metal, but he was moving too fast to keep hold. He was losing breath, swallowing water. He couldn't fight, couldn't breathe, couldn't-

He could breathe.

He took in a huge lungful of air, stunned, unsure what happened until he could feel the ground beneath his paws, realising that the water had drained away and he'd been flung to the side as the vortex dissipated.

"Alonzo?" he spluttered, still coughing up water.

The black and white tom was a few feet away, hacking up, and Munkustrap moved to pat him on the back.

"Sorry. I didn't…I didn't know that was going to happen… water is strange," he apologised, "Are you okay?"

Alonzo cleared his throat, giving him a worn out little smile, "Oh, I'm great," he laughed, "Just glad that Tugger won't be complaining anymore. Even the half hour that we spent was enough."

Munkustrap smiled, leaning forward to nuzzle the tom, licking behind his ears, "Thank you so much."

"Whoa, are you guys okay?" Rumpleteazer skidded through the ankle deep water, spraying both toms. She giggled softly, "That was so funny! You guys are not going to make it as fish, I'm sorry."

Mungojerrie came up behind her, a little more wary of the water, "You guys a'ight?"

"We'll survive," Munkustrap smiled, more of the cats leaping down from Tugger's den to join them.

Demeter was at Munkustrap's side in seconds, nuzzling and licking him, helping to dry him off. Mistoffelees pranced to Alonzo, carefully taking his hand and drying his fur with his magic, before moving to Munkustrap to do the same.

"Do you think it will rain again?" Demeter asked, glancing up at the sun. More and more blue sky was prevailing over the dark clouds, and Munkustrap shook his head.

"I doubt it," he said firmly, "But if it does, it won't flood again. We'll keep an eye on the drains from now on and make sure it won't happen again."

Demeter nodded, nuzzling close to him again.

He glanced around at his tribe – the younger cats were playing in the water, no longer tired, and the Jellicles whose dens had flooded were carefully making their way to them, inspecting the damage.

Rain, Macavity or shine, Munkustrap was going to protect his tribe – no matter what.


End file.
